The gruesome manner in which the cashier of the Rural Bank, Mebo, Bomge Nyori was allegedly murdered inside the bank has sent shockwaves across the state. One cannot imagine the cold blooded manner in which an innocent man’s life was taken away. Small towns are known for their community spirit and inter-personal relations and this incident which took place at Mebo makes it that much more unnerving.

Over the past several years, the state has witnessed growing incidences of bank robbery wherein miscreants executed several of the crimes in broad daylight. While concerted effort has led the police to arrest many of the culprits and recover the stolen stash, however the seemingly emboldened and undeterred miscreants who are daringly executing such crimes is a huge worrying factor.

The latest case is a pointer that despite the vulnerability of banks and financial institutions, lessons have not been learnt.

Most banks even in the state capital region which has probably seen the highest numbers of robbery are yet to take their security seriously. Even a super busy bank as the SBI is guarded by just a handful of security personnel and it is not surprising to see other private banks having only a lone armed guard responsible for the facility’s security. It is imperative for the security establishment including the respective banks to deploy substantial manpower to guard the premises and thwart any untoward incident.

The Deputy Commissioner East Siang admitted that the Rural Bank Mebo building infrastructure was poor, unsafe and it was running without security personnel. Under such circumstances banks are sitting ducks waiting for tragedy to strike.

Our heart goes out to the wife, young children and family of late Nyori. Death itself is a truth which humans have difficulty coming to terms with but the manner in which Bomge Nyori was killed is barbaric and rattles the core of humanity. As the local representative and the district administration has pledged, we do hope that justice is delivered to the victim and his family at the earliest.

Albeit late, this incident must be a wakeup call for the administration and bank managements to strengthen the system and also ensure the safety of its employees.

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313